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A portion of a recorded Webinar discussing the 7 sensibilities that make learning in a 3D Virtual World different from 2D learning. Speakers are Karl M. Kapp (Bloomsburg University) and Tony O'Driscoll (Duke University), co-authors of "Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration".

A portion of a recorded Webinar discussing the basic building blocks for creating a 3D Virtual World learning environment. Speakers are Karl M. Kapp (Bloomsburg University) and Tony O'Driscoll (Duke University), co-authors of "Learning in 3D: Adding a New Dimension to Enterprise Learning and Collaboration".

The University of Southampton has an extensive presence in SL. One of the projects that they are developing is an exercise in visualization of an ancient Roman port. In addition to SL, they are also developing texture maps for Google Earth. The Portus Project in SL is referred to as Portus 2 and is a developing interactive representation of the entire port city. Posters, video, and other multimedia displays show the evolution of the project.

OpenSim OAR and IAR files from UC Irvine Universal Campus

link to a very cool map of World Heritage Sites created in the virtual world of Second Life. The map is viewable in Google Maps and includes SLurls to teleport to each of the locations. The information was gathered by New Mexico State University Professory Pete Eidenbach and imported into Google Maps. If you combine this with Virtual Flags and Anthems of the World and our list of 35 Virtual Countries in Second Life then you receive quite a world history or geography lesson.

Q4 2011 Average User age 10 - 15 Kzero

PIVOTE project at St. George's University (England). Scenario based training (paramedic) examples. SLURLs listed in blog

Second Life based FREE game development kit in a box. Used to develop Pilgrim (First Thanksgiving) game with University of Pennsylvania Students. Links to SLURL location, documentation, example game and kit on this page.

How you appear in the virtual world could affect your behavior in real life, according to researchers at Stanford University. Andrea Seabrook speaks with Stanford's Jeremy Bailenson about his research into how people interact psychologically with their virtual-reality representations.

This location takes a famous concept from geology of using a spiral timeline to illustrate the history of the Earth. As you walk through the interactive exhibit you get a sense of the passage of time as well as the slow and gradual evolution of life on Earth. I really like the idea of walking through a timeline and interacting with exhibits and can see how this would work with a class. There are many opportunities for discussion and demonstrations along the way. I also think this type of collaborative site would make a really great class project. Constructed by students at the University of Arizona.

This is an excellent site that would be great for educators or business people who want to improve their virtual skills, expand their virtual contacts, or hold meetings. This site was created and is maintained by a university in the UK. I found a place for educators to make appointments to get help for improving their skills in the virtual world, many educational tools such as interactive slide shows and art exhibits, and a group I could join that connected me with other like-minded educators. The site was easy to navigate, well-designed, and loaded with content. Even though I spent nearly two hours here, I felt as though I barely scratched the surface. The only thing that I still find a bit odd is that I do not know why the title is Sexual Health SIM. I did not find anything related to health care. But again, there is so much more that I did not search.

University of Kansas Medical Center asynchronous simulations. Interesting case study.

I found this use of virtual reality to be very interesting. At George Mason University, professor Chris Dede has helped create a collection of three virtual worlds that allow students to see the interaction of molecules, gravity and electrostatic fields from an up-close perspective. Students are able to become the ball that gets thrown and see what happens to it when it collides with another object. Students can also become a hydrogen or oxygen molecule and see what happens as they combine to create a drop of water.

This is a Star Trek museum that looks like the real Enterprise. You can go to the bridge, teleporter, engineering bay, the Captain's ready room, and everywhere else on the ship. Most of the rooms have either Star Trek trivia or they have interactive science activities. There is a planetarium, information about different parts of the universe, and short tests (more like games) to assess learning. One of the tests requires the test-taker to correctly identify different categories of craters on Mars.

Thothica Community is a place where people come together to discuss philosophy, poetry, psychology, culture, mathematics, computer science, physics, cosmology, artificial life, education, and second life. When I first arrived there was a nice schedule of times with topics that would be discussed. Some of the topics included evolutionary psychology and quantum economics, all presented by community sponsors and members. Also listed were poetry readings and philosophy games. This might be a good way for students to join in a discussion or share their own writing.

Here is an interesting letter from an associate professor of physics at Elon University about his experience with using Second Life in his courses. He seems to really enjoy using new creative tools in his courses and is constantly looking for new ways to do things. He has tried many different representations of virtual reality. In general, he had assumed that all of his students would be fairly technically competent, especially in building in Second Life, but found that most of them fumbled around at first. Once they got on to it, they did quite well. He also took part in the Second Life Planetarium that has already been mentioned by one of the other students.

I have always wanted to visit Morocco because of what I've heard of the outdoor markets, mosques, food, beaches, and the culture from friends who have traveled there. This virtual space was actually constructed by students from Johnson & Wales University who had visited and in collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. When I teleported, I arrived in front of a fez booth. I took and wore one that allowed me to obtain information about my virtual surroundings as well as provide tips; it did warn me of monkeys. As I wandered thru the open markets, it was devoid of avatars but there was a gentle roar of a large crowd when walking in a specific area, and some of the stalls were empty with a couple of them with For Sale signs. Many of the stalls were offering garments, rugs, spices, kabobs, and baskets for sale. There were notecards, photo slideshows, and videos available that included tourism information and website links. I took a walk/fly thru stone-lined streets and walkways around the quaint residential buildings situated by ocean front views and I noticed that all the buildings have satellite dishes. This was a detailed little city with soccer fields, orange tree gardens, beach, outdoor café, and a mosque. I noticed two monkeys on a stand and I was expecting something to happen when I clicked them on and sat next to them; nothing happened.